a short film by Etienne Desrosiers 2007 | 14 mins | Canada ›› Mirrors - Miroirs d'été an elegant take on the first stage of coming out. Lovingly shot and scored, here writer and director Etienne Desrosiers paints the ever popular summer holiday picture; albeit with a sexual realisation brush. For welcome to the world of Julien; a somewhat melancholic teenager who alongside his brother Antoine, arrive with their parents at the family lakeside holiday home. Only far from being at ease, Julien is soon to be found rejecting offers to get up close and personal with the local girls, preferring instead the company of his musical neighbour Hervé and in turn his close friend / pianist. It is a friendship that is set to see Julien realise his path in life. From the opening scene of the family arriving at their holiday home to the closing frames of their pending departure, Desrosiers' plays his work akin to glimpses into the coming-of-age mind of a young man. The result is a short film in which the narrative asks poignant "no girlfriend yet?" questions, leaving Julien's facial expressions to provide the unspoken answers to a series of suggestive situations, given no one is officially gay here, but you know and you know, they know too. Naturally played by a young Xavier Dolan, who just three years later would write, direct and star in his seductively stylish feature Heartbeats, this elegant take on the first stage of coming out, whilst hardly groundbreaking, is nevertheless clearly delivered from the heart. For without a gay kiss in sight, Julien's desire to spend the majority of his holiday with Hervé and friend, leaves little doubt as to the nature of his burgeoning sexuality. Delightful. Gay Visibility - covert.  Nudity - bare-arsed cheek.  Overall - file under ... 3+ stars.  ›› Available to buy from Amazon.co.uk.   available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue - 'Boys on Film 7: Bad Romance' release: 26.September.2011 starring: Xavier Dolan / Julien, Stéphane Demers / the Neighbour, Julie Beauchemin / the Mother, Patrick Martin / the Pianist, André Nadeau / the Father and Maxime Allaire as Brother Antoine. Copyright 2011 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #426 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹